The Library

Caring for your wood table.

Fresh and reclaimed solid wood furniture is as characteristic as it is timeless, and, like most furniture constructed from all-natural materials, its beauty grows with age, use, and care. We believe furniture should be used, not admired from afar (it's a table, not a Fabergé egg)—but owning a wood table just requires some heightened awareness before you put stuff down.

Q.

How do I avoid scratching my tabletop?

Natural wood is more prone to scratching than other materials, and we treat our tabletops as sparingly as possible in order to achieve a desired aesthetic and maintain the woods’ inherent characteristic beauty.

In short, it’s best to take care when placing objects on or moving objects along the table, especially if they’re heavy or sharp. Our fresh woods are lightly sealed, but the sealant we use on our reclaimed wood is particularly light so that subtle color variation and decades’ worth of weathering can shine. This means, however cautious you are, scratches probably will happen from time to time. It’s part of adding your family history to a narrative already in motion, carved in the wood itself.

Q.

How do I avoid leaving rings or stains on my tabletop?

The short answer—coasters, placemats, and trivets are going to be your new best friends. Natural wood is highly sensitive to heat and moisture in a way that, for instance, veneer and other engineered woods are not.

Generally, it’s best to play it safe and avoid placing anything that might be hot or damp directly onto the tabletop without some sort of buffer.

Q.

Is it normal for a little color to come off when I wipe my table?

It's not uncommon to see a little bit of color transfer on your cloth when wiping one of our reclaimed woods (Reclaimed Oak, Reclaimed Pine). Just remember that wiping down the entire tabletop will help to maintain color evenness. We treat our reclaimed woods very subtly, using only a non-toxic solvent solution and a light seal to even out the patina. This avoids overpowering the color, details, and imperfections that make each piece special.

You shouldn’t see any color transfer when cleaning a table made with fresh wood. We seal our fresh woods (Fresh Oak, Fresh Ash) differently than our reclaimed woods. Because this wood is younger, we're able to finish it with a slightly thicker topcoat and sealant without compromising the look of the grain.

Q.

How do I keep my table looking its best day-to-day?

A feather duster or clean, dry cloth will do the trick to remove everyday dust and dirt. Spills are inevitable, of course, but try to wipe them away as quickly as possible. A splash of water isn't going to be catastrophic, but the longer moisture sits on the surface, the more likely it is to cause a stain.

If your kids were particularly energetic at breakfast and you want to wipe your table, use a lightly dampened white cloth (or a cloth without any dye that could potentially transfer to the wood) to wipe down the entire tabletop. Wiping the whole surface will ensure the finish wears evenly.